None of the new Bollywood releases of this week opened to bumper houses but Hollywood’s THE CONJURING: LAST RITES opened huge. BAAGHI 4 took an ordinary start on Friday (not considering the corporate bookings) but THE BENGAL FILES had a shaky opening.

Param Sundari did average in the first week. Collections dropped markedly after the first weekend. The genuine collections for the first weekend were Rs. 25 crore while the total for the weekdays was Rs. 10 crore. In this way, the first week closed at only Rs. 35 crore. Of course, the producers tried to prop up the scene by not just offering tickets at discounted rates but also indulging in other questionable trade practices.

Vash Vivash Level 2 (dubbed) collected Rs. 0.42 crore on Wednesday (August 27) owing to Ganesh Chaturthi holiday. The total for Thursday (August 28) was Rs. 0.37 crore. After a 2-day total of Rs. 0.79 crore, collections for Friday, Saturday and Sunday were Rs. 0.37 crore, Rs. 0.82 crore and Rs. 1.02 crore respectively. In this way, the first 5-day weekend closed at Rs. 3 crore. Collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 0.40 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.54 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.30 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.27 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 1.51 crore. Hence the total for the 9-day week was Rs. 4.51 crore.

War 2 dropped further in 3rd week. It netted Rs. 0.55 crore on Friday, the first day of the third weekend. Collections on Saturday and Sunday increased to Rs. 1.05 crore and Rs. 1.30 crore respectively. After a third weekend total of Rs. 2.90 crore, collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 0.35 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.45 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.30 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.30 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was only Rs. 1.40 crore. In this way, the third week closed at Rs. 4.30 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: 184.55 crore. The Telugu dubbed version, meanwhile, added only Rs. 0.30 crore to its kitty in the third week, taking its grand total to Rs. 66.95 crore.

Mahavatar Narsimha (animation, Hindi and South languages) managed to stand its own in the sixth week too in spite of new oppositions every week. It started the sixth weekend with a take of Rs. 0.76 crore on Friday. Collections more than doubled to Rs. 1.75 crore on Saturday. The total for Sunday was an impressive Rs. 2.45 crore, taking the weekend total to Rs. 4.96 crore. Collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 0.55 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.60 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.46 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.46 crore. With the total for the weekdays being Rs. 2.07 crore, the sixth week closed at Rs. 7.03 crore. Grand total for 6 weeks: Rs. 238.58 crore.

Saiyaara is in its last lap. It netted Rs. 0.45 crore in its seventh weekend, and another Rs. 0.29 crore during the weekdays. Therefore, the total for 7th week was Rs. 0.74 crore. Grand total for 7 weeks: Rs. 337.49 crore.

F1: The Movie (dubbed and the original English versions) joined the Rs. 100-crore club in the tenth weekend! It started the tenth weekend with a net collection of Rs. 0.23 crore on Friday. Collections more than doubled on Saturday which closed at Rs. 0.48 crore. The total for Sunday was Rs. 0.46 crore. After a tenth weekend total of Rs. 1.17 crore, collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 0.15 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.17 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.15 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.17 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 0.64 crore. In this way, the tenth week closed at Rs. 1.81 crore. Grand total for 10 weeks: Rs. 101.17 crore.

Vash Level 2 (Gujarati) did well in the first week in Gujarat and Saurashtra, netting Rs. 4.55 crore in all.

Bachu Ni Benpani (Gujarati) did quite well in 1st week in Gujarat and Saurashtra. It collected around Rs. 2.75 crore in the first week.

The week gone by was quite uneventful. The current week is also expected to pass off with minimal excitement because it is the dull pre-Diwali week. All eyes are now on next week as the two Diwali releases — SINGHAM AGAIN and BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 — battle it out at the ticket windows and, before that, for shows in multiplexes and single-screen cinemas.

Venom: The Last Dance (dubbed and the original English versions) opened on Thursday (October 24) to good houses. The first day (of paid previews) closed at an impressive Rs. 4.20 crore.

Aayushmati Geeta Matric Pass failed miserably in the box-office examination in its first week.

Settlement fared so poorly in its first week that the only word to describe the collections was ‘unsettling’.

The Wild Robot (animation, dubbed and the original English versions) netted Rs. 5.25 crore in the first week.

Jigra crashed in the second week. The drop in collections was around 70%! Given that the first week’s collections themselves were not up to the mark, the drop got underlined even more. The film netted barely Rs. 6.60 crore in 2nd week, taking its grand total for 2 weeks to only Rs. 28.60 crore.

Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video dropped about 60% in 2nd week. The first week itself was disappointing and, therefore, the fall in collections in the second week was even more glaring. It netted approximately Rs. 10.25 crore in 2nd week, taking its grand total for 2 weeks to Rs. 36.25 crore only.

Paani (Marathi) flopped in the first week in Maharashtra.

Like Aani Subscribe (Marathi) fared poorly in 1st week all over Maharashtra.

Hahacar (Gujarati) started slow but picked up very well and managed an impressive first week in Gujarat.

The very bold (for Indian sensibilities) Badhaai Do found acceptance in pockets. After a slow start, collections picked up in select cinemas only, on Saturday and Sunday. However, collections on the last three days of the first week were rather dull. The first week started with a take of Rs. 1.5 crore. Collections increased to Rs. 2.5 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 3.35 crore on Sunday, taking the weekend total to Rs. 7.35 crore. The film held on decently on Monday (Rs. 2 crore) but collections went downhill thereafter. Tuesday recorded a total of Rs. 0.95 crore, Wednesday was Rs. 0.90 crore, and Thursday, Rs. 0.85 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 4.70 crore. Total for the first week: Rs. 12.05 crore.

Death On The Nile (dubbed and original English versions) fared poorly in the first week.

Moonfall (dubbed and original English versions) did dull business in 1st week all over.

Soyrik (Marathi) could not make any mark whatsoever in the first week all over Maharashtra.

Jindagani (Marathi) managed fair collections only in a few cinemas of Maharashtra in the first week. Elsewhere, collections were rather poor.

Ka R Deva (Marathi) bombed miserably in the first week all over Maharashtra.

ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI opened to such ordinary houses yesterday (July 28) that the joyous atmosphere, created by both the major Hollywood releases — OPPENHEIMER and BARBIE — of last week was washed away, in a manner of speaking. 

Ajmer 92 could not make a mark in 1st week.

Minus 31: The Nagpur Files remained a minus fare in the first week.

Vash bombed miserably in the first week.

Oppenheimer (dubbed and the original English versions) did extraordinarily well in its first week. Collections in the big cities, high-end multiplexes and IMAX screens were excellent. The film netted a wonderful Rs. 14.45 crore on the first day. Collections on Saturday increased to Rs. 16.91 crore. The total for Sunday was Rs. 16.83 crore. After a wonderful weekend total of Rs. 48.19 crore, collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 6.36 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 5.58 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 5.08 crore, Thursday – Rs. 4.84 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 21.86 crore. In this way, the first week closed at Rs. 70.05 crore.

Although it was not dubbed in Hindi or other regional languages, Hollywood’s Barbie netted an excellent Rs. 24.76 crore in 1st week.

Snake Cave (dubbed) proved to be a debacle in the first week.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (dubbed and the original English versions) fell about 75% in 2nd week. Its second weekend started with a take of Rs. 3 crore on Friday. Collections on Saturday increased to Rs. 5.50 crore and further to Rs. 6 crore on Sunday. Hence the second weekend closed at Rs. 14.50 crore. The collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 1.80 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 2 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.70 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.70 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 7.20 crore. Therefore, the total for the second week was Rs. 21.70 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 105.15 crore.

Satyaprem Ki Katha added Rs. 3 crore to its kitty in 4th week. Grand total for 4 weeks: Rs. 80.65 crore.

Aflatoon (Marathi) bombed miserably in the first week all over Maharashtra.

Baipan Bhari Deva (Marathi) continued its winning streak in the fourth week too. It netted Rs. 7.02 crore in the fourth weekend, and Rs. 2.40 crore during the weekdays. Therefore, the total for 4th week was Rs. 9.42 crore. Grand total for 4 weeks: Rs. 68.01 crore.

Bachubhai (Gujarati) did very well in the first week all over Gujarat and Saurashtra.

Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan did alright in 1st week in Gujarat only, because of Gujarati characters in the film. In the rest of India, it met with a dull fate.

Tiger 3 dropped more than 60% in 2nd week, after just a 5-day first week. The second weekend started with a take of Rs. 13.25 crore (Hindi version Rs. 13 crore, dubbed versions Rs. 0.25 crore) on Friday. Collections increased to Rs. 18.75 crore (Hindi Rs. 18.25 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.50 crore) on Saturday. The ODI Cricket World Cup finals on Sunday saw collections dip to Rs. 10.50 crore (Hindi Rs. 10.25 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.25 crore). Therefore, the total for the second weekend was Rs. 42.50 crore (Hindi Rs. 41.50 crore, dubbed Rs. 1 crore). Collections for the weekdays were on the lower side: Monday – Rs. 7.35 crore (Hindi Rs. 7.25 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.10 crore), Tuesday – Rs. 6.70 crore (Hindi Rs. 6.60 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.10 crore), Wednesday – Rs. 6.10 crore (Hindi Rs. 6.05 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.05 crore), Thursday – Rs. 5.30 crore (Hindi Rs. 5.25 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.05 crore). Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 25.45 crore (Hindi Rs. 25.15 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.30 crore). In this way, the total for 2nd week was Rs. 67.95 crore (Hindi Rs. 66.65 crore, dubbed Rs. 1.30 crore). Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 256.20 crore (Hindi Rs. 249.65 crore, dubbed Rs. 6.55 crore). The film is now on its last lap.

12th Fail did average in 4th week. It added Rs. 3.38 crore to its kitty in the fourth weekend, and another Rs. 3.03 crore during the weekdays. Therefore, the total for 4th week was Rs. 6.41 crore. Grand total for 4 weeks: Rs. 41.16 crore.

Salman Society (Marathi) bombed miserably in 1st week all over Maharashtra.

Naal Bhag 2 (Marathi) continued to do fair business in 2nd week in some pockets of Maharashtra.

Bell Bottom may have been expected to score at the turnstiles as it was the first big-budget film starring an A-list actor to release in cinemas in almost 17 months and also the first theatrical release after the second Coronavirus wave lockdown was lifted in different states in July/August this year, but it failed to live up to expectations. The eight-day week did not really add up to much! No doubt, cinemas in most states are allowed to function at only 50% capacity, but even those 50% seats were not full in majority of the cinemas and in majority of the shows. The film opened on 19th August (Thursday) in 2D and 3D all over except in Maharashtra and a couple of other small circuits like Assam and Tamil Nadu-Kerala. Shockingly, collections of the 2D version were better than those of the 3D version at many places. On second thoughts, that shouldn’t come as a shock because the 3D effects in the film, starring Akshay Kumar, were far from good. The first day’s net collection figure was just Rs. 2.75 crore. Collections on Friday were no better as the second day also ended at Rs. 2.75 crore. Quite obviously, the Moharram holiday on Thursday/Friday did not help the film much. Collections on Saturday showed only a marginal improvement as the day closed at Rs. 3 crore. The Raksha Bandhan festivities gave a boost to collections on Sunday, because of which the fourth day closed at Rs. 4.50 crore. In cinemas where collections on the first three days were very poor (only 5-7% of the capacity), the collections on Sunday were more than the total collections of the first three days. In this way, the film netted only Rs. 13 crore in the first 4-day weekend. Collections on Monday were alright in Uttar Pradesh (due to the holiday declared in the state following the demise of erstwhile chief minister Kalyan Singh on Saturday) and a couple of other circuits (due to the advantage of post-Raksha Bandhan festive spirit). But collections in other circuits showed a drop in comparison with the collections of Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Monday closed at Rs. 2 crore only. Collections for the balance weekdays were: Tuesday – Rs. 1.75 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.50 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.25 crore. The total for the four weekdays was, therefore, Rs. 6.50 crore. In this way, the film netted only Rs. 19.50 crore in the first 8-day week. Even if one assumes that the film will have a run of several weeks at the cinemas because of very limited number of new releases in the coming weeks, it is not expected to net more than Rs. 30 crore in its entire run. Probably, the film may not even touch that figure! Of course, the silver lining is that producers Vashu Bhagnani and Nikhil Advani took the bold step of releasing the film in cinemas in spite of 50% occupancy, night curfews, closure of cinemas in some states, and reluctance of many among the public to come to the cinemas for fear of getting infected by the virus, and their step needs to be lauded. However, it must be added that while the producers promoted the film extensively, they did not stress on the fact that it was coming in cinemas. With the public being used to consuming films on OTT platforms during the two lockdowns and also when the lockdown was lifted for a little over five months in between, many people did not even know that Bell Bottom was coming on the big screen. They assumed that it was to release on 19th August on one or the other streaming platform and, therefore, did not go to the cinemas. Why, there were and there still are countless people who didn’t/don’t know that cinemas in their state/city had/have reopened. The all-India distributors, PEN-Marudhar Cine Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., also erred in not issuing prominent ads in newspapers to announce that the film was hitting cinema screens. The film underperformed in the Overseas circuit too with a gross of only Rs. 8.8 crore in the first 8-day week.

Puaada (Punjabi) did very well in the second week too. It had opened in limited cinemas (which had reopened) on 12th August (Thursday) to a rousing reception, collecting Rs. 50 lakh on the (odd) opening day. The first four-day weekend had closed at Rs. 2.45 crore while the eight-day first week closed at Rs. 3.83 crore. The second week was also very good. The second weekend closed at Rs. 1.05 crore. The net collection total for the four weekdays of the second week was Rs. 0.78 crore. In this way, the second week’s total was Rs. 1.83 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 5.66 crore. The comedy has performed excellently Overseas too. It has grossed Rs. 8.8 crore in 15 days abroad.

Chandu Champion did ordinary business in 1st week. The slow start was the biggest setback for the film. Although collections increased in the weekend, the jumpstart was missing. It netted only Rs. 4.50 crore on the first day. Collections picked up on Saturday which closed at Rs. 7 crore. The total for Sunday was Rs. 10 crore. In this way, the first weekend closed at Rs. 21.50 crore only. Collections for the weekdays were: Monday (not much benefit of the Eid holiday) – Rs. 5 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 3.25 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 3 crore, Thursday – Rs. 2.85 crore. With the total for the weekdays being Rs. 14.10 crore, the first week closed at Rs. 35.60 crore.

Manihar met with a disastrous fate in 1st week.

Inside Out 2 (animation, dubbed and the original English versions) did very well in the first week. Actually, the original English version scored while the Hindi dubbed version fared poorly. The film (both, English and Hindi dubbed) netted Rs. 1.26 crore on the first day. Collections increased to Rs. 2.16 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 2.71 crore on Sunday. After a first weekend total Rs. 6.13 crore, collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday (Eid holiday) – Rs. 1.49 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.81 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.83 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.77 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 3.90 crore. Therefore, the total for the first week was Rs. 10.03 crore.

Munjya did outstanding business in 2nd week, the drop being barely 5.5% over the first week. The film will qualify to be called a surprise super-hit. The second weekend started with a take of Rs. 3.75 crore. Collections almost doubled to Rs. 6.75 crore on Saturday. The total for Sunday was an astounding Rs. 8.75 crore. After a second weekend total of Rs. 19.25 crore, the collections for the weekdays were: Monday (Eid holiday) – Rs. 5.50 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 3.50 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 3.25 crore, Thursday – Rs. 3 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was a wonderful Rs. 15.25 crore. In this way, the second week’s total was a phenomenal Rs. 34.50 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 71 crore.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die (dubbed and the original English versions) crashed in the second week.

Mr. & Mrs. Mahi is breathing its last. It added only Rs. 2.40 crore to its kitty in 3rd week. Grand total for 3 weeks: 35.81 crore.

Alyad Palyad (Marathi) has done fairly well in the first week in Maharashtra.

Sangharshyoddha Manoj Jarange (Marathi) could not do well in 1st week in Maharashtra.

Soham (Marathi) did not fare well in the first week in Maharashtra.

Jhamkudi (Gujarati) was extraordinary in 3rd week too in Gujarat and Saurashtra. It collected Rs. 4.19 crore in the third week, taking its grand total for 3 weeks to Rs. 13.34 crore.

It must be the first time in the history of Bollywood that two films became the biggest Hindi blockbusters ever in the same week, but one after another. First, GADAR 2 superseded the business of PATHAAN to occupy the top position on September 27. It enjoyed that position for exactly a day because on September 28, JAWAN outdid both, GADAR 2 and PATHAAN, to become the no. 1 film of Hindi cinema ever!

Fukrey 3 was off to a fair start on Thursday (September 28). It netted Rs. 8.82 crore on the first day. Collections dropped 15% on the second day so that the day closed at Rs. 7.50 crore.

The Vaccine War seems to have been rejected completely because people don’t want to revisit the horrendous COVID-19 pandemic days which they have lived through. Probably, the depressing and horrifying memories of those dark days in 2020 and 2021 have kept the public away from the cinemas screening this film about the development of the Indian COVID-19 vaccine.

The Great Indian Family failed miserably at the box-office in 1st week. It netted Rs. 3.75 crore in the first weekend, and another Rs. 1.25 crore during the weekdays. Therefore, the first week closed at only Rs. 5 crore.

Sukhee proved a box-office disaster in the first week all over.

The Purvanchal Files bombed miserably in 1st week all over.

Chattan was a non-starter in the first week.

The Expendables 4 (dubbed and the original English versions) could not do anything substantive in the first week.

Jawan started its third weekend with a take of Rs. 7.61 crore on Friday. Of this, Rs. 7.10 crore was for the original Hindi version while Rs. 0.51 crore was for the two (Tamil and Telugu) dubbed versions. Collections jumped to Rs. 12.25 crore on Saturday — Rs. 11.50 crore for Hindi, Rs. 0.75 crore for dubbed versions. The total for Sunday was Rs. 14.95 crore (Hindi Rs. 13.90 crore, dubbed Rs. 1.05 crore). In this way, the third weekend closed at Rs. 34.81 crore (Hindi Rs. 32.50 crore, dubbed Rs. 2.31 crore). Therefore, the Hindi version crossed the Rs. 500-crore mark in just 18 days by touching Rs. 505.96 crore. Collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 5.45 crore (Hindi Rs. 4.90 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.55 crore), Tuesday – Rs. 4.86 crore (Hindi Rs. 4.40 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.46 crore), Wednesday – Rs. 4.84 crore (Hindi Rs. 4.45 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.39 crore), Thursday – Rs. 5.97 crore (Hindi Rs. 5.81 crore, dubbed Rs. 0.16 crore). Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 21.12 crore (Hindi Rs. 19.56 crore, dubbed Rs. 1.56 crore). In this way, the total for 3rd week was Rs. 55.93 crore (Hindi Rs. 52.06 crore, dubbed Rs. 3.87 crore). Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 584.32 crore (Hindi Rs. 525.52 crore, dubbed Rs. 58.80 crore). This makes it the biggest Hindi blockbuster ever as it has outdone the Rs. 524 crore of Pathaan (Hindi only) and the Rs. 524.50 crore of Gadar 2.

The Nun II (dubbed and the original English versions) continued to score in 3rd week. It netted Rs. 0.83 crore on the first day of the third weekend. Collections shot up to Rs. 1.54 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 1.74 crore on Sunday so that the third weekend closed at Rs. 4.11 crore. Collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 0.63 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.57 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.60 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.29 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 2.09 crore. In this way, the total for the third week was Rs. 6.20 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 41.33 crore.

Dream Girl 2 netted Rs. 1.25 crore in 5th week and thereby joined the Rs. 100-crore club. Grand total for 5 weeks: Rs. 100.50 crore.

Gadar 2 netted Rs. 2.50 crore in the seventh week and became the biggest Hindi blockbuster ever on the sixth day when it touched Rs. 524.25 crore, outdoing the Rs. 524 crore of Pathaan (Hindi version only). With a net collection of Rs. 0.25 crore on the last day of 7th week, its total for the seventh week was Rs. 2.50 crore. Grand total for 7 weeks: Rs. 524.50 crore.